Mechanism for operating a signalling device



April 21, 1959 c. E. REEVES 2,882,853

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING A SIGNALLING DEVICE Filed Dec. 24, 1956' I Tzai.

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ATTORNEYS OPERATING A SIGNALLING DEVICE Charles E. Graham Reeves, Summit, N.J.,' assignor to Falcon Alarm Company, Inc., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 24, 1956, Serial No. 630,279

Claims. (Cl. 116-112) MECHANISM FOR The present invention relates to a mechanism for operating a self-contained signalling device and relates, more particularly, to a mechanism for automatically operating a storage tank overflow alarm.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism which will insure positive and quick operation of a self-contained signalling device. The present invention is especially suitable for use in operating a storage tank overflow alarm, such as shown in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,742,014 issued April 17, 1956, to W. W. Pleasants for Storage Tank Overflow Alarm. Another object of the invention is to provide a device tor operating a self-contained signalling device which can be exposed to weather conditions, but which will be reliable in its operation and economical and simple to construct.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent and best understood from the following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l isa side elevational view of a siga'lling device embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top planview of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in vertical section and on an enlarged scale of the signalling device shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a section view taken along the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, there is a cylinder containing a fluid under pressure which may be readily mounted in a suitable position on a fluid storage tank for automatic operation when the fluid in the tank rises above a predetermined level. Such an arrangement is shown in said Patent No. 2,742,014. The cylinder may contain a gas under pressure such as carbon dioxide or a vaporizable liquid such as dichlorodifluoromethane (Freon-12).

The cylinder which may be of conventional form, has an opening at its top or upper end which is closed by a rupturable member. The rupturable member may be in the form of a plug 11 which is threaded into the opening in the cylinder and has a thin-walled section 12 at its bottom which may be readily pierced to discharge the contents of the cylinder. The thin-walled section is located at the bottom of a recess or depression in the top of the plug.

The mechanism for piercing the plug is mounted on top of the cylinder and includes a fitting 13 which contains a piercing pin 14. The fitting has a threaded recess at one end which is threaded onto the outer Walls of the cylinder defining the opening in the top thereof. A washer 15 may be interposed between opposing portions of the cylinder and the fitting to insure that a leak-proof seal is obtained between the fitting and the cylinder at this point. With this arrangement, the cylinder may be removed and replaced without difficulty and without disturbing other portions of the apparatus.

The piercing pin 14 is movably mounted in a vertical bore 16 which extends through the fitting and communicates at its lower end with the recess or depression in the plug when the fitting is attached to the cylinder. Under these conditions, the pointed end 17 of the piercing pin extends into the depression in the plug and is positioned directly above the thin-walled section at the bottom of the plug. The piercing pin extends through the bore in the fitting and has a shank portion 18 which is of smaller diameter than the diameter of the bore in the fitting to provide clearance through which the fluid under pressurein the container may escape to a discharge pas sageway 19a which communicates with the bore in the fitting. One end of a pipe 19 is connected to the discharge passageway and the other end of the pipe is connected to a suitable sound producing instrumentality 20, such as a diaphragm type of horn, which will produce a loud audible signal.

An O-ring 21 is carried by the piercing pin above the shank portion and forms a seal with the sides of the bore in the fitting to prevent the escape of fluid under pressure through the bore above the discharge passageway. The top of the piercing pin projects beyond the top end of the bore and has a headed portion 22 which engages with the top of the fitting when the piercing pin is depressed to limit the downward movement of the piercing pin with respect to the fitting and the bottom of the plug, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The downward movement of the piercing pin is limited so that a flattened portion 24 of the pin having a reduced area will coincide with the opening pierced in the bottom of the plug by the pointed end of the pin as the pin is depressed. This provides clearance between the pin and the sides of the pierced opening in the bottom of the plug which permits the fluid under pressure to escape from the cylinder into the bore of the fitting.

It is desirable that an alarm or signalling device he operated quickly and positively when fluid in a storage tank exceeds a predetermined safe level and such operation is accomplished by means of an actuating mechanism 25 mounted on the top of the fitting.

The actuating mechanism consists of an operating lever 26 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 27 which extends between two upright members 28 located at the top of the fitting. The lever is positioned so that one end engages with the headed end of the piercing pin and depresses the pin when the other end of the lever is raised or rotated in a counterclockwise direction.

The other end of the operating lever is connected by a pair of coil springs 29 to the ends of two horizontal arms 30 which extend from the upright members in a direction opposite to the operating lever. The arms and the lever are arranged so that the springs are cocked or under tension but are in an overcenter position when operating lever is slightly beyond a horizontal position (as shown by the full lines in Fig. 1) and thus, do not act to rotate the lever counterclockwise under these conditions. However, when a plunger 31 carried by a float (not shown) moves into engagement with the operating lever and raises it slightly, the springs automatically rotate counterclockwise (to the position shown in dot and dash lines) with considerable speed and force and this causes the piercing pin to puncture the plug in the top of the cylinder. As a result, an alarm is sounded immediately.

It will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a mechanism for automatically operating a selfpowered signalling device of the type employing fluid under pressure for production of an audible sound and which includes a cylinder containing a supply of the fluid under pressure, said cylinder having a discharge outlet and a rupturable member normally closing said outlet, the improvement which comprises a fitting connected to the discharge outlet of the cylinder, said fitting having a bore extending therethrough and a discharge passageway communicating with said bore at a point intermediate its length, said bore having an upper end and a lower end with said lower end being in communication with the discharge outlet in the cylinder; a piercing pin mounted in the bore in the fitting, with one end thereof in opposing relation to the rupturable member in the discharge outlet of the cylinder and the other end thereof extending beyond the upper end of the bore, said pin being movable relative to the fitting toward the rupturable member and having a portion of reduced section formed adjacent the end thereof opposing the rupturable member with a shank portion of smaller diameter than the bore extending from said reduced section to a point beyond the discharge passageway; spring-actuated means carried by the fitting and engaging with the end of the piercing pin extending beyond the upper end of the bore, said springactuated means forcibly moving the piercing pin toward and through the rupturable member; and means for stopping said movement of the pin at a point where the reduced section of the pin coincides with an aperture formed in the rupturable member by the pin.

2. In a mechanism for automatically operating a selfpowered signalling device, the improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for stopping movement of the piercing pin comprises a head formed on the end of the pin extending beyond the upper end of the bore, said head being larger than the bore and engaging with the fitting when the reduced portion of the pin coincides with the aperture formed in the rupturable member by the pin.

3. In a mechanism for automatically operating a selfpowered signalling device, the improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein the spring-loaded means carried by the fitting and engaging with the end of the piercing pin includes a lever pivotally mounted on the housing with one end thereof engaging with the end of the piercing pin extending beyond the upper end of the bore in the fitting and a spring connected between the fitting and the other end of said lever, said spring being arranged to rotate the lever in a direction to force the piercing pin toward the rupturable member and being in -an extended overcenter position when the pin is in a raised position relative to the rnpturable member.

4. In a mechanism for automatically operating a selfpowered signalling device, the improvement as defined in 4 claim 1 which includes means forming a seal between the pin and the sides of the bore at a point between the upper end of the bore and the discharge passageway.

5. In an automatically operated self-powered signalling device of the type employing a fluid under pressure for production of an audible sound, the combination which includes a cylinder containing a supply of the fluid under pressure, said cylinder having a discharge outlet; a rupturable member located in and normally closing said outlet, a fitting removab-ly connected to the discharge outlet in said cylinder, said fitting having a bore extending therethrough and a discharge passageway communicating with said bore at a point intermediate its length, said bore having an upper end and a lower end with said lower end being in communication with the discharge outlet in the cylinder; a sound producing device connected to said discharge passageway; a piercing pin mounted in the bore in the fitting with one end thereof in opposing relation tothe rupturable member in the discharge outlet of the cylinder and the other end thereof extending beyond the upper end of the bore, said pin being movable relative to the fitting in -a direction toward the rupturable member and having a portion of reduced section formed adjacent the end thereof opposing the rupturable member with a shank portion of smaller diameter than the bore extending from said reduced section to a point beyond the discharge passageway; spring-loaded means carried by the fitting and engaging with the end of the piercing pin extending beyond the upper end of the bore for forcibly moving the piercing pin toward and through the rupturable member; and means for stopping said movement of the pin at a point where the reduced section of the pin coincides with an aperture formed in the rupturable member by the piercing pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,665,671 Morehouse Apr. 10, 1928 1,692,942 Kubli M Nov. 27, 1928 1,898,546 Kelley Feb. 21, 1933 2,067,829 Denne Jan. 12, 1937 2,497,860 Brown Feb. 21, 1950 2,719,507 Aidlin Oct. 4, 1955 2,742,014 Pleasants Apr. 17, 1956 2,767,797 Allen- Oct. 23, 1956 2,777,416 Messick Jan. 15, 1957 2,778,330 Iacoby Ian. 22, 1957 

